‘Ghost criminals’: How Venezuelan gang members are slipping into the U.S.
NBCJun 24
Colombia Captures Alleged Founder of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua Gang
Image copyright: Ministerio de Defensa Nacional de Colombia [via X]
The Facts
Colombian authorities announced on Monday the arrest of Larry Álvarez, alias "Larry Changa," one of the suspected founders of Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang that was established nearly two decades ago in Venezuela's Tocorón prison.
Changa was captured in a rural area in Quindío province after police tracked him down in the small town of Circasia. Upon his arrest, Changa was set to be transferred to the country's capital, Bogotá.
The Spin
Narrative A
While it's great news that Larry Changa has finally been caught, it's pressing to understand that Tren de Aragua is all but a mere police case. Behind the fastest-growing criminal organization in the Western Hemisphere lies the support of the Bolivarian dictatorship in Venezuela and the open complicity of the entire continent. It's about time to change that.
Narrative B
Venezuela has been actively working to bring members of Tren de Aragua to justice, so attempts to somehow link this transnational gang to the Bolivarian Republic are baseless and part of an outrageous smear campaign. Changa was captured thanks to international cooperation, and many others could be arrested if the US started to cooperate, too.